-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At 16 , gymnast McKayla Maroney has already accomplished enough to give her license for a break . But the gold - and silver-medalist is n't stopping , even while on the mend from a recent injury .

Maroney hurt her left leg after suffering a fall during a stop on Kellogg 's Tour of Gymnastics Champions in September , and she 's been recovering slowly but surely , she recently told CNN . One upside to her time away from the tour , though , is that she was able to squeeze in an appearance on The CW 's `` Hart of Dixie , '' which returns for a second season Tuesday .

Yet for Maroney , it was n't simply a fun opportunity -- it 's part of a larger goal to one day become a working actress .

`` I 've always wanted to be an actress ... Ever since I was very little , I really liked being in front of a camera . I 've always been drawn to it and I 've always wanted to pursue it , just like gymnastics , '' she said . `` It 's something that you kind of put in your brain and you never let go of . ''

With gymnastics being a sport that retires its athletes at a young age , Maroney has been putting all of her energy toward her athletic goals while she has youth on her side . But `` after it 's all said and done with the Olympics and Worlds and whatever I get the chance to do , I think that would be my time to really get into acting , something that I want to have as my job when I 'm older , '' she said .

If there was one actor she looks up to and hopes to pattern her career after , the gymnast said , it 'd be Angelina Jolie .

`` I really like Angelina Jolie , all the jobs that she 's done , '' she said , pointing to Jolie 's turn in the action thriller `` Salt '' as a favorite . `` I 'm kind of more into movies , because I 'm really into getting into -LSB- character -RSB- and being that person and selling it as well as she always does . ''

`` I like comedy , I like romantic stuff . I think the movie ` Easy A ' is super cute and I love Emma Stone , she 's an amazing actress and I love how she does all different sorts of things , and that 's what I 'd like to do . I 'm not one kind of person , and that 's the whole thing about being an actress , being able to play all different kind of roles . ''

And so , with help from an agent she acquired a few months before the Olympics , the 16-year-old champ has been looking for ways to break into the industry . The `` Hart of Dixie '' guest appearance in an upcoming episode came through said agent , and , given that she was momentarily at home from the tour , she went for it .

`` It was my first time ever doing anything like that , '' Maroney said . `` Gymnastics , you 're in the gym eight hours a day and acting , that 's a full-time job as well . So I finally had the time to do it , and I had the best time . ''

The CW show stars Rachel Bilson -LRB- `` The O.C. '' -RRB- as Dr. Zoe Hart , a city doctor who 's had to adjust to living in small-town Alabama after accepting a job from a physician who left half his practice to her in his will . Maroney will portray the friend of Rose -LRB- McKaley Miller -RRB- , herself a friend of Zoe 's .

`` Zoe has this guy that she 's going on a date with , and Rose really likes this guy , and there 's a little bit of drama and I 'm kind of backing up Rose , '' Maroney explained .

Maroney may be green , but she 's without trepidation , saying that learning lines and acting on set felt like it came naturally .

`` I 've done acting classes before , and school plays , and I 've always loved it , '' she added . `` It 's weird , I was watching -LSB- ` Hart of Dixie ' -RSB- the same day that my agent told me that they might want me on the show . I really like the character Rose on the show ... and I thought if I was ever going to be on the show , I 'd really want to play her , and then I ended up being her best friend . So it was really surreal and kind of special . ''

She 's also lined up a guest actor role on `` Pretty Little Liars '' -LRB- as a huge fan , she said , `` I kind of always thought that it was Toby '' who was the elusive `` A '' -RRB- , which she hopes to shoot at some point in the future .

`` Everything that I 'm doing , I love to do . I really just take things one step at a time . Even when things get hard , I just believe that everything happens for a reason , '' she said . `` Life goes on , and you have to make the best of everything . You really do have to enjoy life , because it 's short . ''

But before fans of her athletic prowess fear Maroney 's cutting her gymnastics career short in favor of Hollywood , rest assured that she 's not done yet .

`` Right now , I 'm only 16 , and gymnastics will always be a part of me , '' she said of her future plans . `` I 'm really an athletic person and I do n't think I could let go entirely of the sport . I really want to try to go to this next Olympics , -LSB- and -RSB- after I heal up I 'll be back in the gym working as hard as I possibly could just like I did for this Olympics . You ca n't just say that you want to try ... you have to be focused for whatever you do , just like acting . So I 'll really be getting into trying to work for the next Olympics , and in between that I 'll be doing , hopefully , little things like what I just did . ''

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McKayla Maroney snagged an appearance on the CW 's `` Hart of Dixie ''

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The gymnast says she 's `` always wanted to be an actress ''

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She assures fans she 's not cutting her gymnastics career short for acting